God in Our Grief

God cares about our pain. I often forget this truth when I suffer. My earthly tears tend to hide His heavenly face. But the truth is, as the fierce winds of grief swirl about us, God stands to offer us support, comfort, and understanding. He is “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (1 Cor 1:3, 4).

We live in a fallen world where, throughout our lives, we experience pain, struggles, and loss. We cannot escape these effects of sin. Hope, however, comes from trusting the God who redeems even painful events, bringing about our transformation. God miraculously causes all things in believers’ lives to work for good (Rom 8:28). This includes grief.

Furthermore, we have a Savior who walked on this earth and encountered the sorrows of life as a human. Recall the story of Jesus mourning the loss of His friend Lazarus (John 11:1–44). He hurt. He wept. He grieved. He experienced the overwhelming sense of loss that we often encounter in this broken world.

So when the winds of loss come against us, let our relationship with God help support us through the emotional whirlwind. Let us learn to receive understanding, compassion, and hope from the God of all comfort. He supports us through His love, His compassion, and His experience. And in knowing God more deeply, we will come to look more like Jesus (Rom 5:3-5).